Do You Wanna Catch A Snowbird?
by Breathing in Poison
Summary: During the Snow Golem Wars, hope was something that only survived on the wings of a snowbird. To Elsa, the birds were more than just hope-they were a symbol of a life that was maybe worth living. But when a snowbird summoning ends in disaster and leaves Anna gravely injured, Elsa must try to control her powers-and the hauntingly beautiful ice phoenixes that come with it.
1. Chapter 1

_Do You Wanna Catch a Snowbird?_

_Snowbird (n); the icy counterpart to a phoenix. Snowbirds tend to be large, eagle-like birds with a crest of blue-dappled feathers sweeping out and flaring behind the head, long, crimson-edged throat feathers-like those of a raven's, black-tipped wings, and a long, sweeping tail. Eyes are all shades of ice-blue, with white accents in the shape of snowflakes. The call of the snowbird is long, complex, and akin to a nightingale's. Every 100 years, or so, a snowbird will regenerate by singing a pure, almost despairing web of magic around itself, sometimes drawing the magic from other sources. Frost would creep over it, and the bird would fall to the ground, shattering into a thousand ice shards. From these shards, a new snowbird would rise, and the cycle would begin again. The official bird of Arendelle and a symbol of hope against the snow golem wars._

In the heart of a kingdom, rimmed in snow-covered mountains and thick, impenetrable forests, the auroras danced over a small, desolate castle and the half-ruined village that clustered at the castle gates. It was a dark, peaceful night, something the residents of the kingdom had wished for for many long days and even longer nights, yet nobody slept.

The light from the _aurora borealis_ brushed over the tear-streaked face of a young, pale haired girl trembling in her bed. Though barely noticeable, the sheets held tight in the girl's crumpled fist had a light dusting of snow peppering the creamy white linen...

The child was then shaken from her nightmares with a rather rude awakening, considering the fact that these were one of the only nights that giant snow monsters weren't trying to break into the castle and devour them all...

"Elsa! Wake up, wake up, wake UP!"

"-Anna? Go back to sleep..." Elsa sat up and sleepily rubbed at her eyes, then shivered as a distant roar floated in through the open window.

Anna pouted. "I_ can't_. The sky's awake. So_ I'm_ awake. So we have to _play_."

Elsa blinked and slumped back under the covers. "...Go play by yourself."

With this, she shoved Anna off the bed. There was an indignant _oof_, and Elsa smiled slightly before closing her eyes.

Which wasn't for long.

Anna pounced quietly onto Elsa's bed and crept up to her older sister, pulling up one of Elsa's eyelids. "Do you wanna catch a snowbird?" was her sly inquiry.

Anna let go of Elsa's eyelid, but the princess just opened her eye again-and smiled.


	2. Chapter 2

_Do You Wanna Catch a Snowbird?_

Elsa peered cautiously around the ballroom, taking in her working area. A large, open space? Check. One open window? Check. She rubbed her hands together, blue sparks flying from between her palms. Ice magic? Check and double-check.

Beside her, Anna wriggled impatiently, red hair flouncing around her head. "C'mon, hurry up!"

"Shhh." Just one more thing left on the to-do list. Elsa crept over to the window and peered out hesitantly. No snow demons in sight. Check. "Alright. I'm ready."

Elsa turned towards the middle of the room and took a deep breath. When she released it, the air puffed out white, despite the warm summer temperature. Anna's bright turquoise eyes lit up in delight as her sister's eyes brightened to a vivid electric blue, the worry washing away.

Elsa-the real Elsa- grinned at her sister. "Are you ready?"

Anna nodded, too excited to speak.

Elsa smiled back, her heart swirling in delight-and something else. Something cold and bright and mysterious.

Magic.

She flared out her hands, and a torrent of soft fluffy snow blanketed the room in white. Elsa stamped her heel on the ground, and ice crackled across the floor, making Anna slip and fall into a snow pile-overbalanced by giggles.

They played for a while, Anna leaping through the piles like a puppy that had just seen its first winter, Elsa making it rain down bright blue snowflakes. Every laugh, every burst of magic left Elsa's heart feeling lighter and lighter-the weight of being a princess heir, of being a strong elder sister, of watching a war all falling away, blasted away by gusts of blizzard winds.

At long last, Elsa grabbed Anna's hand, shushing her protests. Anna quickly caught on, the original reason of their nighttime tryst coming back to her. Soon, she's positioned a few yards away from Elsa, "hiding" behind a frost-covered pillar, practically vibrating with delight.

Elsa walked slowly to the window snowflakes swirling silently through the air. She paused, cupped her hands to her mouth...then called, a bright, undulating note that shivered through the air and bounced haunting echoes along the walls.

It was a sound that no eight-year-old should be able to make.

Elsa waited a few minutes, then raised her hands up, blue sparks jumping off them. She swirled snowflakes through the air, then backed up, palms still glowing with magic.

A few minutes passed.

Then an answering call rang through the air, and something large and white dove through the window.

A snowbird.


End file.
